What We Believe
WE ARE TRADITIONALLY GROUNDED
We are people who believe and confess our faith in the One God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We confess the historic faith of the Christian Church, expressed in the Apostles', Nicene, and Athanasian Creeds. Our confession of faith guides our worship and forms us as followers of Jesus Christ.
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From the Apostles' Creed:
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I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
THE AUTHORITY OF SCRIPTURE
We believe and confess that the Bible is God’s revealed Word to us, spoken in Law and Gospel. The Bible is the final authority for us in all matters of our faith and life.
THE LUTHERAN CONFESSIONS
We accept and uphold that the Lutheran Confessions (documents written by Martin Luther and other reformers of the church in the 16th Century) reliably guide us as faithful interpretations of Scripture, and that we share a unity and fellowship in faith with others among whom the Gospel of Jesus Christ is preached and the sacraments are administered in accordance with the Gospel.
MARRIAGE AND FAMILY
We believe and confess that the marriage of male and female is an institution created and blessed by God. From marriage, God forms families to serve as the building blocks of all human civilization and community. We teach and practice that sexual activity belongs exclusively within the Biblical boundaries of a faithful marriage between one man and one woman.
THE MISSION AND MINISTRY OF THE CONGREGATION
We believe and confess that the church is the assembly of believers called and gathered by God around Word and Sacrament, and that the mission and ministry of the church is carried out within the context of individual congregations, which are able to work together locally and globally.